
Class -. 
Book- 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



STATEN ISLAND. 



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A GUIDE BOOK, 



ILLUSTRATIONS AND A ROAD MAP. 



GUSTAV KOBBE, 
251 BROADWAY, N. Y. 




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Copyright, Gustav Kobb6, 1890. 



PRESS OF DE LEEUW * OFPENHEIMEB, S31 V>ILLIAM ST. 






TABLE Olf' CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Introduction, -- 9 

Chapter I. 
New York to St. George, ----- 25 
The North Shore, ----_. 26 

Chapter II. 
The South Shore, -------41 

Chapter III. 
The Interior -_-_-_- 47 

Chapter IV. 
Places not on the Railroads, - . _ - 53 

Chapter V. 
Drives and Walks, - 57 



LIST OW ILLTJSXR^TIOHSrS. 



PAGE 

Clove Lake and Old Mill, - - Frontispiece. 

Relics, ---12 

S. I. C. and B. B. C, i8 

Toward the Narrows. — Up the Kills. - - - 24 
Richmond Terrace, ------ 30 

Boat House— S. I. A. C, - - - - - 34 

At South Beach, _._--_ 40 

Vanderbilt Tomb, ------ 46 

Along Mill Brook, ------ 52 

Silver Lake. — Moonlight on the Kills, - _ 56 



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INTRODUCTION. 

Topography and Geology. — The topography of 
Staten Island is very diversified, consisting of hills, 
level farming land, salt marshes and beach. In shape 
it is an irregular triangle comprising sS^-^ square miles. 
Its greatest length, northeast and southwest, is 13 miles ; 
its greatest breadth, 8 miles. The entire southeastern 
shore has suffered an enormous wear, due to the abrad- 
ing action of the waves coupled with the gradual de- 
pression of the coast. Where Elm Tree light-house now 
stands — then the foot of New Dorp lane, but now 
beyond the end of a dock extending 400 feet out into 
the water — there grew, in 1S40, a large American elm. 
This indicates an average encroachment of the sea of 
10 feet a year. There has been a loss of about 350 feet 
since 1850 at Cedar Grove, one-half mile south of Elm 
Tree light-house, and at Prince's Bay and the forts on 
the Narrows the government has been obliged to build 
sea-walls for the protection of its property. 

There are two ranges of hills. The first, beginning 
at New Brighton, where it is 310 feet high, sweeps in- 
land behind Tompkinsville and Stapleton, reaching the 
shore at the Narrows at Clifton. 

The second ridge begins in the rear of West New 
Brighton and extends to the south nearly reaching New 
Dorp, when it veers to the westward to the Fresh Kill. 
Its greatest elevation, 370 feet, is Toad or Todt Hill, 
which is the highest point of the Island. Other promi- 
nent elevations on this ridge are Richmond and La 
Tourette's hills. 

The general topography of the Island, its shape, 
boundaries and location are so well shown on the map 
that detailed references to these matters is unnecessary. 

Geology. — The geology of Staten Island is very diver- 
sified for so small an area. We find within its limits 
strata of the Archaean, Triassic, Cretaceous, Quaternary 
and Modern eras. 

Archaan Strata : True granite is exposed about 400 
feet southwest of the old Tompkinsville steamboat land- 
ing ; there is another exposure about 200 feet south of 



to 

this. A belt, of granite of unknown width is supposed 
to extend around the eastern edge of the main range of 
hills, covered by glacial drift and cretaceous strata, and 
continuing southwest to Arthur Kill and across New 
Jersey to Trenton, where it again crops out. 

The upper portion of the main series of hills is formed 
by magnesian rocks (serpentines), the serpentine area 
being estimated at about 133^ miles. The most eastern 
exposed boundary forms the series of bold declivities 
from Tompkinsville to Richmond. Compact and fibrous 
serpentines, marmolite, silvery talc, apple green talc, 
gurhofite, dolomite, calcite and chromite are among the 
interesting minerals which have been collected within 
this area. These metamorphic rocks are apparently a 
southern continuation of those of Manhattan Island and 
of Hoboken, N. J. 

Triassic Forjuation : Strata of this age cover the area 
bounded by the assumed western edge of the serpentine 
rocks, Newark Bay and the marine alluvium along 
Arthur Kill. The rocks are red ferruginous shales and 
sandstone, which are broken through by a ridge of trap 
rock, a continuation of the Palisades of the Hudson. 

Cretaceoits Formation : The area of this formation has 
largely been covered by glacial drift and salt meadows. 
The strata consist of plastic clays, valuable in the manu- 
facture of fire-brick, drain-pipe, and other refractory 
ware. The most extensive pits are at Rossville and 
Kreischerville. 

Quaternary EpocJi : The remains of this epoch are the 
d posits of material brought from the north by the 
glacier whose terminal moraine, crossing the island 
from the Narrows to Tottenville, is distinctly marked 
by a line of hills. One of the huge gneiss boulders 
brought from the north by the glacier is to be seen on 
Fort Hill, New Brighton, and another in a field near 
Huguenot. • The limonite iron ore deposits, which have 
been extensively mined on Todt Hill, Richmond Ter- 
race, along the Clove road and near Four Corners, are 
provisionally referred to this formation. 

Modern Epoch : To this belong the salt meadows 
which extend over about g}^ miles of the Island. These 
were once shallow bays across whose entrance bars of 
sand were formed, and which then gradually filled up. 
There are good sand beaches from Clifton southward to 



the Point of the Beach, near Gifford's, at Seguin's Point 
and at Ward's Point. 

History. — The first white men to behold Staten Island 
were Henry Hudson and the crew of the Half Moon, 
which sailed through the Narrows September ii, i6og. 
Before weighing anchor to explore the river which bears 
his name, he detained two of the Staten Island Indians 
as hostages. At West Point, however, they escaped bv 
jumping overboard and swimming ashore. Hudson 
named the island Staaten Eylant, or " Island of the 
States." The Indians, who were Raritans of the Leni 
Lenappe or Delaware tribe, called it Aqtiebouga JSIanac- 
knoiig and also Egquahotis, which is said to signify the 
" Place of Bad Woods." These Indians dwelt along 
shore, near the good fishing places, as is evidenced by 
ancient shell heaps, remains of burial-places and relics, 
such as stone hatchets and arrow-heads. Springs, 
rudely built up with stone walls, like Logan Spring, a 
little northeast of Silver Lake, are supposed to be of 
Indian construction. 

Hudson was in the service of the Dutch, and Staten 
Island became part of New Netherland. The first 
settlers on the island were Walloons, who arrived in 
1624. The precise spot of their settlement is not known. 
They did not remain long, removing to Long Island, 
because of their fear of Indian hostilities. 

Among the first " Patroons " or landed proprietors of 
New Netherland was Pauw, to whose share Staten Is- 
land fell. The first systematic settlement of the island 
seems to have been attempted about 1630 by David 
Pietersen DeVries, supposedly at or near Old Town 
(Oude Dorp). In September, 1640. a staff was erected 
at the Narrows, on which a flag was hoisted, to announce 
to New Amsterdam that a vessel had been sighted. 
This was the first marine telegraph in New York harbor, 
and it is noteworthy that marine signals continued to be 
operated from the Staten Island shore of the Narrows 
until the telegraph service between New York and Sandy 
Hook was established. 

The Indians had a curious habit of selling the island 
to whomever happened to make an offer for it, and his- 
tory records no less than six sales, the last, in 1670 to 
Governor Lovelace, to which they were obliged to adhere. 
The price was paid in goods at the value of about one 




Dly^^oR^w./^^^ CHUf^c/J^ 



RELICS. 



13 

cent for ten acres. The sale was accompanied by an 
impressive ceremony, the Indians presenting a sod and 
a branch of every kind of tree which grew on the island, 
except the ash and hickory, and these they always 
claimed to have a right to cut. 

The early settlers were greatly harassed by Indians. 
In 1665 the Indians attacked New Amsterdam, and on 
being driven back to their canoes crossed to Staten Is- 
land, where they slew twenty of the population of ninety- 
nine souls, and laid waste the "bouweries," which had 
been planted under many hardships. About 1661 ac- 
cessions came to the island settlers through a band of 
French Waldenses and Huguenots. 

Staten Island fell with the rest of New Netherland 
under English sway in the summer of 1661, the island 
being the first territory of which the conquerors took 
possession. Soon afterwards the Duke of York con- 
veyed what is now New Jersey to Lord Berkley and 
Sir George Cartaret, and at that time the question arose 
as to whether Staten Island was included in the convey- 
ance or remained to New York. The Duke of York de- 
ciding that all islands lying in the river or harbor which 
could be circumnavigated in twenty-four hours should 
belong to New York, Christopher Bilkjp, master of a 
small ship, the Bentley, undertook to sail around the is- 
land, and did so in less than twenty-four hours, thus 
securing it to the Duke, who bestowed upon him 1,163 
acres on the extreme southern part of the island, to be 
called the " Manor of Bentley." There the old manor 
house still stands (see p. 51). 

In April, 1672, England and France declared war 
against Holland, and August 9th, 1673, New York capi- 
tulated to a Dutch fleet, but the following February 
peace was concluded and the province reverted by treaty 
to the English. Of the various colonial governors, the 
islanders are most directly concerned with Col. Thomas 
Dongan, as he made his residence on Staten Island. 

During the Revolution Staten Island was the scene of 
much military excitement. The military value of the 
Narrows was, of course, recognized by the British, and 
Howe and an army of 30,000 men were encamped on 
the island prior to the battle of Long Island. After the 
battle of Long Island Howe made overtures of peace, 
and met a committee from Congress at the Billop house, 



14 

but without result (see p, 51). When Sir William Howe 
sailed for Philadelphia, he left General Knyphausen in 
comm'and at Staten Island. Predatory raids were made 
by Hessians and Tories into New Jersey, and in return 
bands of Americans crossed over from New Jersey to 
Staten Island, with disastrous results to the British and 
those who were in sympathy with the latter. Staten 
Island was evacuated November 25, 17S3. 

Natural History. — From catalogues prepared by 
Prof. N. L. Britton, of Columbia College, and Arthur 
Hollick, to which the reader is referred for more de- 
tailed information, it appears that the flora of Staten 
Island numbers some 1,245 species and varieties. The 
varied characteristics of the flora are due to the variety 
of the geological conditions within the limited area of 
the island. Thus, in the cretaceous region around 
Tottenville and Kreischerville, the flora resembles that 
of the " Pine Barrens " rf southern New Jersey ; while 
the drift of sand, loam, gravel and " hard pan " cover- 
ing the rest of the island reproduces the flora of the 
Hudson River valley. Several species are confined to 
the ridge of serpentine extending from St. George to 
Richmond. 

Several fine souvenirs of the forest, which once cov- 
ered the island and in which oak and chestnut predom- 
inated, remain. A conspicuous object in a field on the 
south side of the track, near Garretson's station, is a 
huge white oak. In a little retired valley, north of the 
station, stands a chestnut, whose trunk measures 18 
feet in circumference. The trunk of a white oak near 
Green Ridge is 15 feet and 2 inches in circumference. 
One of the willow trees at the Billop house, Totten- 
ville, shows a circumference of 13 feet and 7 inches. 
The sweet gum tree, with its corky bark, is also found 
here. Some 13 years ago, several enterprising islanders 
found a ready sale for branches of it in New York, 
hawking them as "alligator wood." They sold some 
even to residents of the island. 

Years ago deer and foxes were on the island, but they 
have long been extinct, and the only four-footed game 
remaining is the rabbit. The principal game-birds are 
quail, woodcock and rail. 

Industries. — The geological products of the island 
have been applied in various industries. The limonite 



15 

ore has feeen used in blast furnaces with other more 
refractory ores, and has been utilized in the production 
of red ochre paint. Fire-clay from the pits at Rossville 
and Kreischerville is employed at the factory at the 
latter place in the manufacture of refractory ware. 
Clays of glacial drift origin furnish material for com- 
mon brick made near Richmond and Linoleumville. 
There are important quarries of trap-rock at Granite- 
ville. Beach sand, to the thousands of tons, is shipped 
to New York and Brooklyn for building purposes. 

The most important industrial establishments are the 
Richmond Light, Heat and Power Co., at St. George; 
Windsor Plcster Mills, Manchester Manufacturing Co. 
(dress goods, velvet, plush, etc.) and the Irving Manu- 
facturing Co (silk), at New Brighton ; the Old Staten 
Island Dyeing Establishment, Baldwin's wall paper fac- 
tory and the Staten Island Water Supply Co., at West 
Brighton ; the Barrett, Nephews & Co.'s dye-house, 
and the Jewett White Lead Co., at Port Richmond; 
flour-mills at Mariner's Harbor ; the American Lino- 
leum Mfg. Co., at Linoleumville; Dean's Linseed Oil 
Mill, Elm Park ; Dfe Jonge's Paper Mill, Tompkins- 
ville ; Crystal Water Co. and Richmond County Gas 
Light Co., Stapleton ; Staten Island Gas Co., Clifton ; 
S. S. White Dental Works, Prince's Bay ; B. Kreischer 
& Sons (refractory ware, gas-retorts, etc.), Kreischer- 
ville ; and the Ultramarine Works, near Rossville. 

The brewing interests represent the largest industry 
on Staten Island. The chief breweries are George Bech- 
tel's brewery, at Stapleton ; Rubsam & Horrman's and 
the Staten Island Brewing Co., at the same place ; Fred. 
Bachmann's, at Clifton, and Monroe Eckstein's, at 
Castleton Corners. 

The oystering at Tottenville, which is a settlement of 
oystermen, is also an important industry. The famous 
" Sounds " come from here. The beds are stocked with 
seed oysters from the Raritan and Newark Bay. 

Charities. — Sailors' Snug Harbor (seepage 29). Sea- 
men's Fund and Retreat (see page 44). The S. R. 
Smith Infirmary, with which a Ladies' Auxiliary is con- 
nected, was organized in April, 1864, and formally 
opened June 20th of that year. It is located at Tomp- 
kinsville. The Staten Island Diet Kitchen was organ- 
ized in December, 1881. Its rooms are at Tompkins- 



i6 

ville. The work is maintained by contributions of 
articles of food, flowers, etc. 

Mt. Loretto, at Pleasant Plains, is an active and im- 
portant branch of the Mission of the Immaculate 
Virgin, N. Y. 

Hotels and Boarding Houses. — Rates per week : — 
Netv Brighton, Castleton, special rates ; Pavilion, 
special rates ; Belmont, |8.oo-$i5.oo ; Brighton, $8. co- 
lic. oo ; Windsor, |7.cc-$3C.co. Board I5.c0-il25.c0. 
West Brighton, board $5.oo-$8.co. Port Richmond, 
St. James, $6.00 and upward. Erastina, board $5.00 
and |6.oc. Tonipkinsville, Nautilus Hotel, $6.co-$ic.co; 
board same. Stapleton, board $8.oc)-|io.oo. Clifton, 
board same, Rosebajik, Lazzari's $9.00; board f5.cc— 
I7.00. Fort Wadsworth, Cliff Cottage, Clifton House, 
White House, and board $8.oc-|i5.oo. Arrochar, 
Gebhardt's, 1 10.00. Garretsons, board $5.oc-$8.cc. 
N'ew Dorp, South Beach Pavilion, Botanic Garden, 
Cedar Grove Hotel, all $10.00. Eltingviile, board, 
|6.oc-|8.oo. Annadale, board $6.oo-|8.oo. Huguenot, 
board $6.co-!|i2.oo. Princes Bay, board I5.0C and 
upward. Pleasant Plains, board $5.00. Tottenville, 
Union House, $5.oc-|7.oc; board same, Pe7-th Aniboy, 
Hotel Central and Parker House, |5.co-$io,oo ; board 
$5.oo-$6.oo. 

l^ie Staten Island Rapid Transit Railroad Company 
publishes atuiually, about April l^th, a list of hotels and 
boarding-houses , with their rates. This list can be had 
on application at the Company' s offices, foot Whitehall 
Sti'eet, New York. 

Carriage and Boat Hire, — Rates of carriage and 
boat hire are about uniform all over the island. Car- 
riages may be had for I1.50 the first hour and $1,00 
each succeeding hour. To any point near the stations 
50 cents. Two-horse open vehicles, holding four people, 
may be had at about $7.00 per day. Cabs are to be 
found only at West Brighton, where 25 cents and 35 
cents are charged to points within the village, and 75 
cents and $i.oc per hour for long drives. 

Rorv-boats may be had at 25 cents per hour and $3.00 
per day. At the fishing-grounds boats are about $1.50 
per day. Light cedar boats along the Kills are 50 cents 
per hour. Sail-boats 50 cents per hour and $5.00 per 
day. 



17 

Fishing. — Gifford's, Priiices Bay Q.nd J\oss7'i//eare the 
best fishing-grounds near the island. Bass (striped), fluke, 
flounders, and smaller fish are caught in large numbers, 
and vveakfish abound during the season. Worms, clams, 
crabs and shrimp are used for bait at different times 
and can be procured at the beach. Fish begin to run 
as soon as the warm weather sets in, and continue until 
it is too cold to fish with comfort. Comfortable quarters 
and good boats are to be obtained at low rates at these 
places. (See boat hire above.) 

Clubs and Club Life. — 77/^ Staten Island Athletic 
Club has a finely-appointed house with boat-house and 
grounds, situated half way between Livingston and 
West Brighton stations on the Richmond Terrace. 
The club-house was originally a large country residence, 
which has been enlarged and altered into one of the 
most complete country clubs in the vicinity of New York. 
The boat-house is a beautiful little building on the Kills, 
connected with the shore by a bridge leading ovei the 
railroad. The second floor of the boat-house, where 
midsummer evening receptions are held, is entirely open 
at the sides. The floor below is replete with conveni- 
ences. Shower and spray baths, lockers, boats, shells 
and barges of every description are to be found there. 
A yachting squadron is also a prominent feature of the 
club. In the club-house are a restaurant, parlors and 
card-rooms, sleeping apartments, bowling-alleys, and 
billiard and pool-tables, and a gymnasium is building. 
The ground runs back of the club-house several hundred 
feet. The cinder-path is one-fourth of a mile in diam- 
eter and the base-ball field is considered one of the most 
beautiful around New York. There are numerous tennis- 
courts, and a ladies' house on the grounds. The grand 
stand seats about 1,000 persons. Lacrosse and foot-ball 
teams are also connected with the club, which is ably 
manao^ed and very popular on the Is'and. 

Staten Island Cricket and Base-hall Cliih is the next 
largest club on Staten Island and like the Athletic Club 
is a member of the Amateur Base-ball League. It has a 
beautiful little club-house on Bard avenue, surrounded 
with numerous tennis-courts and a cr.cket and base-ball 
field. Many of the famous amateur cricket players of 
America are counted among its members. 

North Shore Tennis Club is a charming little associ- 



ila^. 




ii k^ 




19 

ation, with grounds and a club-house on Bard avenue, a 
little way up from the station. Most of the ladies and 
gentlemen of the vicinity are members. 

Kill von Kail Workinginan' s Chib and Institute occupy 
the brick building of the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
ciation on the shore road, just above West Brighton 
station. The club is a secular one, designed for the 
entertainment of the young men of the village and is 
very moderate in its fees. Pool and billiard-tables, 
bowling-alleys and a gymnasium are to be found in the 
club-house, and card, domino and chess-rooms, with 
library and reading-room up stairs, 

Corinthian Athletic Club is a young organization of 
great promise, w^hich has been formed lately by the 
young men of West Brighton. A club-house and grounds 
are promised for the near future. 

North Shore Gun Club is an organization composed of 
many crack shots, which meets at Port Richmond. 

Island Bowling Club is a strong club, which has alleys 
on Post avenue. Port Richmond. 

A bicycle club is in process of formation at Port Rich- 
mond. 

Staten Island Rowing Club is an exclusive body which 
has a small boat-house near St. George. 

New York Canoe Club has a boat-house at Tompkins- 
ville. 

Seawanhaka Yacht Club has a club-house near the old 
ferry landing at Tompkinsville and a good anchorage 
for yachts. 

Clifton Boat Club is a flourishing organization on the 
South Shore not far from the fort. Their very pretty 
little boat-house is well stocked with shells and other 
craft in great variety. 

Clifton Tennis Club is a popular club on the South 
Shore, with grounds not far from Rosebank station. 

The Country Club is a hunt club, with pleasant head- 
quarters on the Little Clove Road. Cross-country and 
paper-chases, with fox-hunting, are the chief sports. 

A^atural Science Association meets once a month. 

Churches. — Protestant Episcopal. — Christ Church, 
New Brighton ; Ascension, West Brighton ; St. John's, 
Clifton ; St. Andrew's, Richmond ; St. Paul's Memorial, 
Tompkinsville ; St. Luke's, Rossville ; St. Stephen's, 



Tottenville ; New Dorp Mission ; St. Mary's, West 
Brighton. 

Reformed. — Port Richmond ; Chapel, Mariner's Har- 
bor ; Brighton Heights; Huguenot. 

Lutheran. — Stapleton ; St. John's (German), Port 
Richmond. 

Moravian. — New Dorp ; Castlcton Corners ; Gifford's ; 
Stapleton; St. Philip's, Tower Hill ; First, New Brigh- 
ton ; South, Tottenville. 

Roman Catholie. — St. Peter's, New Brighton ; Immac- 
ulate Conception, Stapleton ; St. Mary's, Clifton ; St. 
Mary's, Port Richmond ; St. Patrick's, Richmond ; St. 
Joseph's, Rossville ; St. Rose of Lima, West Brighton ; 
S.. Paul's, Tottenville. 

Baptist. — Baptist, Erastina ; Park. Port Richmond. 

Methodist Episcopal. — Asbury, New Springfield ; Tra- 
visville ; Bloomfield ; Trinity, West Brighton ; Kings- 
ley, Stapleton ; Grace, Heberton avenue, Port Rich- 
mond ; Bethel, Tottenville ; Woodrow, Rossville ; St. 
Mark's, Pleasant Plains ; Summerville, Mariners' Har- 
bor ; St. John's, Rossville. 

Presbyterian. — First (of Edgewater), Stapleton ; First 
(of New Brighton), Clinton avenue, New Brighton ; 
Calvary, corner Castleton and Bement avenues, West 
New Brighton. 

Transportation. — The first authentic record we have 
of a ferry between New York and Staten Island is a 
notice made public in November, 1755 : 

Publick Notice is hereby given to all, Gentlemen Travellers, that 
Martin Duckett has rented the noted ferry house on Statten Island, 
lately kept by John Watson, where he intends to keep the Best 
Entertainment for man and Horse, with three good boats con- 
stantly attending said ferry to and from New York and Statten 
Island, in company with Scotch Johnny of said city. Tavern 
Keeper ; as also a commodious Stable with all kinds of Provinder 
for horses where all Gentlemen Travellers may be assured of best 
entertainment for themselves and horse with the most carefull and 
expeditious passages across the Bay. by applying to said Scotch 
Johnny, near White Hall Ferry stairs, or said Duckett on Statten 
Island aforesaid: and in case a boat showd be wanted in any 
emergency there shall be one in readiness on notice given to either 
of the I'ersons above mentioned. 

In 1757 a route across the island became part of a 
route to Philadelphia, via Billop's Point (Tottenville) 
Ferry and Perth Amboy. Another route to Philadel- 



phia, via Bergen Point to Port Richmond, crossed the 
island from the latter point to the Blazing Star Ferry, 
near Rossville. The opening of this route was an- 
nounced in the following notice : 

Any Gentlemen or Ladies that wants to go to Philadelphia, can 
go in the Stage and be at home in five Days and be two Nights 
and one Day in Philadelphia to do business, or see the Market 
Days. 

Among the Staten Island ferrymen, early in this 
century, was Cornelius Vanderbilt (p. 47). The first 
steam ferry was established in November, 1817, with 
the Naiiti'lius. The Staten Island Railroad, running 
from Vanderbilt's Landing to Tottenville, was opened 
in June, i860. The greatest improvement in the commu- 
nication between points on the island, and between the 
island and New York, was effected when the Staten Island 
Rapid Transit Company leased the Staten Island Rail- 
road for 99 years, and built additional lines which were 
focussed as St. George, where speedy and commodious 
ferry-boats were placed on the route to New York. The 
experience of Port Richmond may be selected as an 
illustration of the resulting improvement. Under the 
old system. Port Richmond was one hour from New 
York, with hourly boats. It is now but 36 minutes 
from New York, with three trips per hour. Further 
information regarding the routes of the Staten Island 
Rapid Transit Company will be found under St. George. 
Now that the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad has bridged 
Arthur Kills, St. George is destined to become a great 
■freight terminus, and the islanders can also make direct 
connection for the West. 



22 

Railroad Fares. 



St. George 

Tompkinsville 

Stapleton 

Clifton 

Rosebank 

Fort Wadsworth. . . . 

Arrochar 

New Brighton 

Snug Harbor 

Livingston Station.. 
West Brighton . . . . 

Port Richmond 

Tower Hill 

Elm Park 

Erastina 

Arlington 

Grasmere 

Garretson 

Grant City 

New Dorp 

Court House 

Gifford's 

Eltingville . . . . . . . 

Woods of Arden , , . . 

Annadale 

Ocean Park. ..,,... 

Huguenot 

Prince's Bay 

Pleasant Plains 

Richmond Valley. . . 

Tottenville 

Perth Amboy 



From 
New York. 


Rates of Fc 








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5 


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be 
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12 


in 


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X 


Q 






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5-2 


25 


l^o. 10 


$0.20 


5.6 


28 


.10 


.20 


6.3 


30 


.10 


.20 


6.7 


32 


.10 


.20 


7.2 


34 


. 10 


.20 


7-7 


36 


. 10 


.20 


8.4 


^0 


.10 


.20 


5-7 


28 


.10 


-.20 


6.3 


30 


.10 


.20 


6.8 


32 


.10 


.20 


7-4 


34 


.10 


.20 


8.0 


36 


. 10 


.20 


8.4 


38 


. 10 


.20 


8.9 


40 


.10 


.20 


9.6 


45 


.10 


.20 


10.2 


48 


. 10 


,20 


8.2 


35 


• 15 


•30 


9-5 


37 


.20 


.40 


10. 


39 


• 25 


.40 


10. g 


40 


• 25 


.40 


II. 8 


44 


• 25 


.50 


13.3 


47 


.30 


.50 


14.2 


48 


• 30 


.50 


14.6 


50 


.30 


• 50 


14.9 


5T 


•35 


• 55 


15.6 


53 


•35 


• 55 


15.9 


54 


•35 


.55 


16.6 


57 


•35 


.60 


17.5 


60 


• 35 


.60 


18. 1 


62 


.35 


.60 


19.4 


65 


• 35 


.Co 


20.0 


75 


.45 


.60 



24 




25 



CHAPTER I. 

NEW YORK TO ST. GEORGE. 

Leaving the slip at Pier i, East River, at the foot of 
Whitehall street, the ferryboat at once heads for Staten 
Island, and there is an agreeable decrescendo from the 
turmoil of the city to the rhythmic throb of the engine 
and the swish of the wheels as they churn the waters 
of the harbor. Before the green of the trees on the 
Battery and the gray and the red of the great buildings 
beyond are quite blended in one undistinguishable color 
the picturesque old fort, Castle William, on Governor's 
Island looms up to the left, with Fort Columbus in the 
rear. In the old Dutch times, before there was any 
such place as New York, and New Amsterdam was but 
a village. Governor's Island was known as Nut or Nut- 
ten Island and was so near to the Brooklyn shore that 
people drove their cows across what is now known as 
Buttermilk Channel. Governor's Island is the head- 
quarters of the Atlantic division of the army, and the 
commanding General has his residence there. After 
passing the fort the Statue of Liberty towers aloft on 
the right. A recent division of the harbor has ceded 
Bedloe's or Liberty Island to New Jersey, whereas it 
once was in New York State. In an old account, written 
long before Bartholdi modelled the imposing statue 
which holds the torch of Liberty on high, it is written 
that " Bedloe's Island * * * is distinguished as the 
place for the execution of pirates." New Jersey is on 
the right, Long Island on the left and Staten Island, the 
objective point, rises directly ahead of the boat, 



26 

Through the Narrows, the gate-way of New York 
harbor, a bit of Jhe ocean can be seen, and on particu- 
larly bright days Sandy Hook looks like a thin blue line 
just beyond Fort Wadsworth on the Staten Island side. 
The bay, now reflecting the cerulean hue of a clear 
sky, now green, now gray, is an ever-changing delight 
to any one of artistic vision. Further along, the sound 
of a bell rolls over the waters with the rhythmic cadence 
of the waves, and to the right is seen the bell-buoy 
near Robins' Reef, and just behind it the light-house, 
which at night flashes every few seconds a golden 
ray of welcome to the mariner. Robins' Reef derives 
its name from the Dutch robyn, meaning seal, the seals 
which once abounded in the bay and harbor having 
found the reef a pleasant spot on which to bask in the 
sun. From Robins' Reef the landing at St. George is 
but a few minutes, and the delightful twenty-five minute 
sail of nearly six miles is over. 



THE NORTH SHORE. 

St. George to the Bridge. 

St. George is situated at the bend of the Island where 
the Kill von Kull and the waters of New York Bay 
mingle. It is the terminus of the Staten Island Rapid 
Transit and of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The 
great warehouses lately finished and in the course of 
erection are destined to hold the freight which is brought 
over the Arthur Kill Bridge from the main line of the 
Baltimore and Ohio. St. George is the objective point 
of all persons coming to or leaving Staten Island ; it 
being the central station from which the various lines 
of the Staten Island Rapid Transit Company d'lverge. 
A few years ago two separate lines of boats ran to the 



27 

North and South shores of the Island, and the trips 
were often irregular and less frequent than desirable. 
But the completion of the railroad, and the frequency of 
the trains and boats has considerably reduced the time 
to the different places, and made travel between various 
points on the Island, as well as between the Isfand and 
New York, as regular as clock-work. During the busy 
hours of the morning and evening trips are made every 
twenty minutes to and from the Island. At St. George 
the passengers from the city disembark and take the dif- 
ferent branches of the railroad which run to Erastina 
on the North Shore, Arrochar on the South Shore, and 
Tottenville on the farther end of Staten Island, which 
is connected with Perth Amboy by a ferry. The train on 
the right is for New Brighton, Snug Harbor, Livingston, 
West Brighton, Port Richmond, Tower Hill, Elm Park, 
Erastina and Arlington. The train on the outside track 
to the left is for Tompkinsville, Stapleton, Clifton, Rose- 
bank, Fort Wadsworth and Arrochar or South Beach. 
The train on the inside track to the left is for Gras- 
m:re, Garretson's, Grawt City, New Dorp, Court House, 
Gifford's, Eltingville, Woods of Arden, Annadale, Ocean 
Park, Huguenot, Prince's Bay, Pleasant Plains, Rich- 
mond Valley and Tottenville, from which last-named 
place a ferry plies to Perth Amboy. Stops are also 
made, from St. George, at Tompkinsville, Stapleton 
and Clifton to take on passengers, and to St. George's 
to let off passengers. 

Directly back of the ferry-landing rises a steep bluff 
from whose summit the old St. Marks Hotel, which has 
been consolidated with a new building at its side, known 
as the Hotel Castleton, commands a magnificent view 
of the harbor and the New Jersey and Long Island 
shores. From this point a glimpse of Bayonne City, 
nestling behind Constable Hook, can be obtained, and 



28 

the tiny white houses and tapering church steeples look 
more like structures in Liliput than like the buildings 
of a flourishing town. To the north-east stretches the 
Jersey shore, lined all along with villages in miniature. 
Once in a while a fleeting view of hurrying trains can 
be caught. Further beyond a pall of smoke hangs 
above Jersey City against which the Statue of Liberty 
is outlined with wonderful majesty and grace. To the 
right is New York, resembling a patch of varied color 
against the blue of the bay and sky. The tall Wash- 
ington building and the tower of the Produce Exchange, 
with the steeple of Trinity church in the background, 
rise above the general outline, while the span of the 
East River Bridge seems to float on air between the 
two great cities with the fort on Governor's Island just 
beneath. The objects on the Long Island shore gradu- 
ally reveal them.selves from behind a veil of haze and 
grow more sharply defined. The line of great brown 
warehouses expends to the slope where between the 
trees of Greenwood gleam the white monuments of the 
dead ; and then comes the line of shore clothed in the 
verdant garb of Nature. Yachts are swinging lazily at 
anchor in the basin of the Atlantic Yacht Club, or dart- 
ing here and there like a flock of frightened birds. 
They skim along in the direction of the Narrows, past 
the two forts and then are lost to sight in the wide waste 
of water, and only the two guardian forts are seen. 
The view is a constant theme of admiration. 

At St. George are the spacious grounds and Casino of 
the Staten Island Amusement Company, where hundreds 
of thousands have watched the superb spectacles of 
"Nero" and the " Fall of Babylon," which were pro- 
duced on a scale of grandeur never before attempted. 

New Brighton, the first station on the North 
Shore, is about three minutes' ride in the train. The 



29 

railroad runs along the beach below a slight bluff 
which conceals it from the south side of the street above. 
At St. George begins a famous feature of the Island — 
Richmond Terrace — which extends all along the North 
Shore. The road is hard and well-made and shaded on 
either side by tall spreading trees. The view of the 
water is uninterrupted, only one side of the road being 
used for building. The houses a- e all detached, stand- 
ing in gardens of their own. Some are several feet above 
the road, with terraces of sloping green, and others, 
with tall white columns reaching to the roof, a sugges- 
tion of the old colonial days, stand in the midst of wide 
sweeping lawns. The road turns after leaving St. George, 
following the course of the Kill von Kull, and in a few 
minutes the Bay is left behind, and across the river are 
seen the docks and factories of the Standard Oil Com- 
pany. The rude buildings are softened by the distance, 
and no sound of the busy engines comes to break the 
quiet of the country. In fact, as the smoke curls up 
from the tall chimneys, and one reflects upon the busy 
hundreds within those walls, the contrast of the peaceful 
Island shore is all the more delightful. The Pavilion 
Hotel is a few minutes' walk from the New Brighton 
station, a large imposing building occupying a space 
nearly the length of a city block. A well-kept lawn, 
traversed by a number of walks, fronts the hotel, and 
the wide piazzas run the entire length — making a de- 
lightful promenade. 

New Brighton offers every convenience in the way of 
gas, electric light and pure water — thus combining all 
the advantages of the city, with the fresh air and free- 
dom of the country. For shopping, the stores in the 
village are sufficient to meet all ordinary wants. The 
postal deliveries are made by carriers. 

Sailors' Snug Harbor, about one mile from New 



30 




31 

Brighton, is the next station. The establishment of 
the famous Home is said to have been due to a sugges- 
tion made by Alexander Hamilton to its founder, 
Robert Richard Randall, when the latter's will was 
drawn in 1801. The institution was incorporated that 
year, but litigation prevented the immediate use of the 
money, and the property was not purchased until 1831, 
in which year the corner-stone of the main building 
was laid. Three years later twenty additional acres 
were added to the grounds. The main building is a 
massive structure of cut stone, with Doric pillars in 
Vermont marble. A hospital, chapel and parsonage, 
Governor's house and several other edifices go to make 
up this mighty institution. In front of the main build- 
ing is a monument of Mr. Randall, who is buried be- 
neath the stone. On one side the inscription reads : 
"The Trustees of the Sailors' Snug Harbor erected 
this monument to the memory of Robert Richard Ran- 
dall, by whose munificence this Institution was founded 
on the 2Tst of August, 1834." On the other sides of the 
monument are inscriptions of similar import. 

A fine statue of the founder, by St. Gaudens, is on 
the lawn near the Governor's house. To the Harbor 
s-^ilors of every nationality are admitted, the only re- 
quirement for admission being that they have had a five 
year' sea service under the Stars and Stripes, and are 
incapable of self-support. Here blind sailors, lame 
sailors, sailors without legs, sailors without arms, and 
sailors physically and mentally round, but perhaps too 
old to stand the exposure of a mariner's life. They 
have everything they need, including tobacco, and one 
of the forms of punishment is to deprive Jack of his 
pipe. On all secular days the visitor is welcomed and 
inmates of the institution are very glad to act as guides, 
for an optional fee, through the grounds and buildings, 



32 

the former being laid out like a park. The men pass 
their time in a number of ways, many of them deriving 
an income from the sale of baskets, mats and ham- 
mocks, which they manufacture. 

A few figures regarding the resources of the institu- 
tion may be interesting. In 1806, the annual income 
from the estate was $4,243. Eight years later* it was 
about $6,000 and it has now grown to be over $100,000, 
a small fortune in itself. 

Immediately back of the Harbor, on grounds belong- 
ing to the institution, a " Home for Destitute Seamens' 
Children" has been built, of which a number of New 
York and Staten Island ladies are the managers. 

Across the road from the main entrance to the grounds 
is a small, stone platform where the sailors congregate 
to spin yarns and look out over the water. A green 
terrace slopes down to the railroad, and a little way 
beyond is the old ferry landing. Just beyond the ferry- 
house the road takes the form of a horseshoe, and a 
salt meadow fills the space made by the bend. The 
Harbor fence follows the road for a little way, but the 
pedestrian prefers to save time by crossing the meadow 
on the dyke, which stretches across the horseshoe ends. 

Livingston Station is at this point, but a few min- 
utes' walk from the boundary of the Harbor. Here 
begins a scene that is entirely new. Livingston possesses 
not a single store, not even a post-office. It is simply a 
place of residence. It has no boundary lines, and was 
itself unknown until the railroad established a stopping- 
place there and named it. Bard avenue, which leads up 
directly from the station, is one ot the finest thorough- 
fares on the island. Bordered on either side by delight- 
ful country residences, with wide sweeping lawns, it 
makes a charming road for walking or driving. The 
styles of architecture are varied ; each place has its own 



33 

individuality, and the view, althougli not possessing the 
breadth and sweep of other parts of the island, is 
nevertheless an ever-changing panorama. The road 
leads directly into the green country lanes and woods. 
Not the least notable resident on the avenue is George 
William Curtis, who is known far and wide as one of 
the most graceful and best-informed writers of the age. 
His cottage is an ideal country home, hidden from the 
road by a tall hedge, at the corner of Hen-derson avenue, 
the second road to the right from the shore. 

Several of the clubs are situated at Livingston. These 
are described under their general heading on page 17. 
The North Shore Tennis Club and the Staten Island 
Cricket Club are on Bard avenue. The gay dresses 
and flannels of the tennis-players, not to mention the 
pretty faces among the players and lookers-on, present 
a charming picture against the green fields and tempt 
one to linger near the grounds and watch the games. 

At Livingston, the Terrace is built up oh either side, 
but a walk of three minutes brings the pedestrian to a 
sudden turn in the road called the Grecian Bend, and 
another new picture holds the view. In the foreground 
is the boat-house of the Staten Island Athletic Club, con- 
nected with the road by a bridge which rises above the 
railroad track. To the left of the boat-house stretches the 
shore lined with green trees to a point where a cluster of 
houses and factories gives evidence of a nest of industries. 
Afar off the Kills seem to broaden and then to suddenly 
bring up against the land. To the right is part of the 
village of Bergen Point, and for the first time houses on 
the Jersey shore are clearly seen. Following the bend 
of the road the grounds and house of the Staten Island 
Athlete Club are passed, and on Wednesday and Satur- 
day the visitor, if fond of the national game, is apt 
to be attracted by the crowds which pass through the 



34 




35 

•s 

grounds to the base-ball field. On the river the yellow 
and black of the club is seen flying from the mast- 
heads of the vessels belonging to the yacht squadron, 
or else the hornet-like gleam of a boating crew, the 
oars cutting the water and the bodies bending with the 
precision of clock-work, while the thin narrow shell 
fairly flies over the waves. 

West New Brighton is about a mile beyond Living- 
ston. It was once known as Factoryville and figures 
under that name on a few maps to this day. It is a 
charming place for residence, although the shore is occu- 
pied with stores on either side of the road. A stage 
line covering Broadway, Ca«tleton avenue and Colum- 
bia street runs to Four Corners or Castleton Corners 
and Eckstein's Brewery, according to the following 
schedule : 

IVes^ Brighton Stage to Four Corners. 

DAILY EXCEPT SUNDAY. 

Leave West Brighton, 6.40, 7.40, 8.40, 9.40 and 10.40 
a.m.; 12.10, 1.40, 2.40, 3.40. 4.40, 5.40 and 7.10 p.m. 

Leave Eckstein's Brewery, 7.30, 8.30, 10.00, 10.30 and 
11.30 a.m.; 1.30, 3.00, 4.00, 5.00, 6.00, 7.00 and 8.00 
p.m. 

SUNDAYS. 

Leave West Brighton, 7.40, 8.40, 9.40 and 11. 10 a.m.; 
12.40, 2.10, 3.10, 4.10, 5.10, 6.10 and 7.10 p.m. 

Leave Eckstein's Brewery, 8.30, 9.30 and 10.30 a.m.; 
12.00 noon and 1.30, 3.30, 4.30, 5.30, 6.30, 7.30 and 8.30 
p.m. {Fare, ten cents.) 

At West New Brighton is the Richmond County Sav- 
ings Bank and the Old Staten Island Dyeing Establish- 
ment. There are a number of well-furnished stores in 
.the village, and the new post-office is one of the most 
complete for its size in the country. Broadway is the first 
street to the right from the railroad station and connects 
with the Clove Road a mile and a half beyond (page 57). 



36 

Following the shore, notable objects of interest are the 
original building of the Y. M. C. A., which has been 
turned into a secular club. The Church of the Ascension, 
a few rods beyond on the right, was built a generation 
ago. It is cruciform in shape and built of Staten Island 
granite. The tower and spire are 115 feet high, which, 
with the elevation of the ground upon which the church 
is built, makes an imposing edifice. The first street 
beyond leads up to what is known as the Factory Pond, 
a pretty body of water which supplies the Dyeing Estab- 
lishment with water all the year and the small boy with 
skating in winter. The next avenue is Taylor street, 
one of the finest residence streets in West New Brighton, 
cool and shady, as the boughs form a perfect arch 
above the road. To the Islander, Richmond Terrace 
ends at Livingston and becomes the Shore road, although 
little changed except in name, and the tour above West 
New Brighton is known as "Up Shore." Therefore, 
Trinity M. E. church, at the next corner, is described 
as located on the Shore road and Dongan street. Don- 
gan street derives its name from the old colonial gover- 
nor of New York, who was commissioned in 1682 and 
chose Staten Island as his place of residence. The 
long square bounded by Dongan street on the east, by 
the Shore road on the north and Bodine street on the 
west, was the site of the governor s manor house, 
which was burned down a few years ago. The dirt heap 
in the center of the square may, therefore*, be considered 
a relic of the early history of our country. Two blocks 
beyond Dongan street is the Old Mill road, now com- 
monly known as Columbia street. Half a block more, 
and a small bridge over a creek which flows from the 
salt meadows on the left is crossed. This bridge is the 
dividing line between West New Brighton and Port 
Richmond. Across the meadows may be seen the build- 



37 

ings of the Water Works. These supply this portion of 
the Island with water, which the State Board of Health 
has declared of the most absolute purity. After crossing 
the bridge the road takes an abrupt turn to the right and 
crosses the railroad track, which leaves the shore at this 
point. 

Port Richmond is another charming village. The 
residences are fine and comfortable, although not so large 
as some passed along the shore. On the left side of the 
road, just across the track and adjoining the platform 
where passengers from St. George leave the train, is a 
large frame house. It is unpretentious, and apart from 
its age it seems to have no particular history. It is now 
known as the St. James Hotel, and is used by a few 
transient visitors ; but it derives historical importance 
from the death in one of the rooms up-stairs of Aaron 
Burr, September 14, 1836, in his eighty-first year. It is 
singular that the histories of Snug Harbor and Port Rich- 
mond, so near together, should again couple the names 
Hamilton and Burr. The Jewett White Lead Company's 
factory is on the right hand of the road a little further 
on where it again turns and follows close to the Kills. 
The road leads through the business portion of the 
water front. At the foot of the first street to the right 
is the Bergen Point ferry, which makes trips every 15 
minutes to and fro. The road varies but little along the 
shore until Elm Park is reached ; Tower Hill being 
simply a place of residence. 

Elm Park is a favorite anchorage for oyster sloops. 
Across the water is seen the long drawbridge of the 
Jersey Central, and beyond the city of Newark. To the 
left the Orange Mountains line the horizon, and to the 
west is Elizabethport, which is distinctly seen as the 
visitor draws nearer to the bridge. 

Erastina became a noted resort when the Wild West 



38 

made its home there, and the railroad established it as 
the end of the line. The post-office at that point is 
Mariner's Harbor, but there is no station by that name. 
By reference to the map it will be seen that the salt 
meadows prevent any further excursion to the west- 
ward, and it is impossible to gain the Baltimore and Ohio 
bridge except by the railroad. Rowland's Hook, at the 
extreme northwest point of the Island, was originally 
called "Holland's Hock " on account of the Dutch set- 
tlement there. Hock meaning a point or corner. The 
island to the northwest is known as Shooter's Island, 
where a barrel factory is built, and the light-house where 
the waters of Newark Bay mingle with those of the 
Kills is the Bergen light, guarding a reef of dangerous 
rocks. 

Along the shore are a number of summer parks, 
which offer tempting clam-bakes to the hungry visitor 
at moderate rates. 



41 



CHAPTER II. . 
THE SOUTH SHORE. 

SL Geonse to South Beach 



The stations on this branch are for Tompkinsville, 
Stapleton, Clifton, Rosebank, Fort Wadsworth and 
Arrochar. Between Tompkinsville and St. George the 
water front is taken up by the railroad, the enormous 
Atlantic Cotton Docks, and the general supply depot of 
the Light-house Establishment. The walk alongside 
of the Casino at St. George and a turn down the first 
street to the left leads to the interesting branch of the 
Light-house Service, where ©-very article pertaining to 
the light-house, and indeed a complete light-house, 
erected for experimental purposes, may be seen. In the 
yard and at the docks are numerous buoys, light-ships 
an4 tenders. The ground is very high at this point and 
the railroad tunnels beneath it. The street on the left 
from St. George leads to the lower and upper Terraces. 
The former has been described in the foregoing chapter, 
and the second terrace, sometimes called St. Marks 
avenue, varies but little from it, except that the view is 
morj limited, houses being built on both sides of the 
street. The large square frame building on the upper 
Terrace, set back a hundred feet from the road, is the 
Brighton Heights Seminary for Girls. A little below the 
Semina y, on the opposite side of the street, is the 
Brighton Heights Reformed church, an off-shoot of the 
church on the North Side, organized in 1820. The 
winding road at the side of the church leads to Fort 
Hill. The large brick building which is seen to the 



42 

west on the brow of the opposite hill is the New Brighton 
Public School. The houses scattered in the valley 
between belong to New Brighton, and the great chim- 
neys and factories seen to the North are the Standard 
Oil Works on the Jersey shore ; the Kills, which flow 
between, being hidden by the intervening hills. The 
first street on the right of Westervelt avenue, going 
South, leads by the reservoir, the site of an old British 
fort, from which the hill receives its name. The first 
street, just half a block above the end of the lower Ter- 
race and the first street running parallel with the railroad 
track running into Tompkinsville, goes through the old 
Quarantine grounds. About the beginning of this cent- 
ury the yellow fever visited New York, and the commis- 
sion appointed by the Legislature secured this beautiful 
spot on the Island for quarantine purposes. As was nat- 
ural, the contagious diseases were not confined to the 
hospital, and the residents clamored for its removal. 
Owing to some outside influence, the wishes of the people 
were not respected. After the fearful visitation of yel- 
low fever in 1856 the residents became desperate, and 
finally, on the night of September ist and 2d, 1858, the 
citizens forcibly entered the Quarantine, and, after re- 
moving the patients, burned every building to the 
ground. The Governor of the State declared the Island 
in revolt, and the militia was called out, but the people 
remained masters of the situation. The Quarantine 
was moved to Seguin's Point, and afterwards to the two 
artificial islands in the lower bay, called Dix and Hoff- 
man. During the war, a number of rambling one-story 
buildings were erected on the grounds, where Union sol- 
diers were tended, and afterwards for a while the place 
was used g.s an infirmary. Not until a few years ago 
were the grounds opened for residence and a street cut 
through, thus removing all traces of that older time. 



}3 

ToMPKiNSViLLE, named after Governor and Vice- 
President Daniel D.Tompkins, is three minutes' ride on 
the railroad from St. George. The New York Canoe 
Club and the Seawanhaka Yacht Club have houses at 
this point, the latter being a few feet from the old boat 
landing. Following the road leading from the station, 
Pavilion Hill, with its superb view, is reached. The 
Narrows with their guardian forts, the Long Island 
shore, and the wide expanse of the sea beyond make so 
lovely a picture that a lounger beneath one of the 
spreading trees on the summit can pass a delightful 
summer afternoon in watching the changing panorama 
and the stately procession of ocean steamers, yachts and 
other sailing craft, with saucy tugs acting as escort, and 
steamboats gliding with swan-like grace over the waters 
of the harbor. Passing along the brow of the hill to its 
further end a steep descent leads to a little lane which 
brings one to St. Paul's avenue, with the charming little 
church of the same name crowning another rise of the 
ground. From th!s point one may walk right into Staple- 
ton by taking the road to the left just beyond the church. 
Two minutes are consumed by the railroad between 
Tompkinsville and Stapleton. 

Stai'LETON is given up, near the railroad, to stores, and 
a very thriving, business-like place it is. A street-car 
line runs to Concord, the starting-point being directly next 
to the little park. The Staten Island Academy for Boys, 
and the German Club Rooms, where all the large balls 
and entertainments of the Island are held, are situated 
at this center. The residential portion differs from that 
of any other village on the Island, and has its distinctive 
features. The modern Queen Anne cottage, with 
gabled roof and fancy trimmings, is side by side with 
the square frame-house of half a century ago, each with 
its own particular interest, enjoying all the conveniences 



44 

of modern days. The Seamen's Retreat, on the shore 
road between Stapleton and Clifton, was established by 
the State Legislature, in 1831, and it is, as its name im- 
plies, a "Retreat" for the sick, crippled or old sea- 
men, whose days of usefulness afloat have past. 

Clifton was formerly best known as Vanderbilt's 
Landing. The railroad station is only two minutes' 
ride beyond Stapleton. It is at the north end of the 
village, which stretches along the shore. Persons 
wishing to drive, can find a livery stable at the gates 
of the station, where terms may be made for a day's 
drive at about one dollar per hour. A block above the 
station the railroad makes a turn to the right ; and 
Rosebank, part of Clifton, is two minutes away. Most 
of the residences lie to the east of the station. The 
Clifton Boat Club i"s about half way between the old 
steamboat landing and the fort. Giuseppe Garibaldi, 
the Italian patriot, was at one time a resident of Clif- 
ton, where he engaged in the manufacture of tallow 
candles at the factory of his friend, Meucci. The house 
is well known, and frequent pilgrimages to the shrine 
of the patriot are made by Italian residents of New 
York, A beautiful walk or drive extends from the 
Clifton station to the fort, along New York avenue. 
The first few blocks are given up to stores, but after- 
wards come green trees, rolling lawns and wooded 
parks, and the cool sea-breeze sweeps down the street. 
St. Mary's Roman Catholic church, the corner-stone of 
which was laid in 1857, is on this road. Further on is 
St. John's Episcopal church, a charming edifice of rose- 
colored Connecticut granite, built after the Gothic style 
of the fourteenth century, at a cost of $120,000. It 
is a pleasant reminder of many of the English parish 
churches which were built in the reign of Edward III. 
The boarding station of the Health Officer is at Clifton, 



Fort Wadsworth is a two minutes' ride beyond Rose- 
bank station. The name belongs properly only to the 
great stone fort which, while it overlooks the Narrows 
in a very threatening manner, is for all practical pur- 
poses of mod.rn warfare useless. Behind the fort 
rises a great grassy mound, the earthworks of Fort 
Tompkins, declared to be the finest in the country. The 
green mound, with its port-holes above and great doors 
beneath, is a singularly fascinating feature of the land- 
scape. The paths are laid out with tactical precision ; 
the officers' cottages are models of neatness and beauty, 
and the immense lawn, with a sentinel pacing here and 
there, makes a pleasant impression of army life on the 
civilian. 

Arrochar and South Beach.— To Arrochar by rail- 
road is two minutes ; by the road about fifteen minutes. 
The map shows the turns necessary to be made, though 
the only rule is to keep to the road nearest the shore. 
Arrochar or South Beach, with its crowd of merry- 
makers, is a miniature Coney Island. On Sundays and 
holidays the crowds number far up into the thousands, but 
there are times during the week when the beach is a 
most enchanting place for a summer day's picnic. Row- 
ing, sailing, fishing, bathing are a few of the water 
sports. Merry-go-rounds, and all the other attractions 
of a pleasure-ground are to be found. Several hotels 
have sprung up where meals may be procured, and 
booths of all kinds line the beach. Arrochar station is 
situated in a beautiful spot, and one of the attractions 
near by — picturesque in the extreme — is an old, ivy- 
covered tower which was built some years ago, and 
which looks like some old feudal^astle, strangely out 
of place. The place has become very popular of late, 
and a number of new houses have been recently erected 
in the vicinity. 



47 



CHAPTER III. 
THE INTERIOR. 

St. George to Totfenville, 

At Clifton the railroad leaves the shore and branches 
off toward the southwest. It is not at any point much 
over a mile from the beach. Grassmere is merely a 
station — the vicinity not being built up at all — with 
spreading meadow-lands on the left stretching toward the 
beach, and to the right rising hills and woods. Garret- 
son' s, just beyond, is a small settlement, with much the 
same general scenery as Grassmere, although the land- 
scape varies in its salient points. Lanes and woods offer 
opportunities for many delightful rides and strolls. 

Grant City. — This is the station nearest the old Mora- 
vian church and cemetery, with the Vanderbilt mauso- 
leum, which are reached by a few minutes' walk. The 
square white church in the cemetery is a comparatively 
modern building, having been erected within the past gen- 
eration, but to the right stands the old church and parson- 
age, built in 1763. The Moravian Society, or United 
Brethren, is a very old one on the island, having been es- 
tablished two hundred and fifty years ago. Commodore 
Cornelius Vanderbilt gave more than fifty acres of the 
grounds to the Society. Just back of the cemetery, ad- 
joining the Society's property, is the Vanderbilt tomb. 
It was designed by Richard M. Hunt, and was erected 
at a cost of $200,000. The gabled front, built of 
Quincy granite, is 40 feet high and 50 feet wide. The 
rear is an immense grass-covered mound. Through the 
iron bars of the door in front can be seen the finely 



48 

finished interior and the stone which marks William H. 
Vanderbilt's resting-place, with the vacant spaces de- 
signed for those who will follow after. The tomb is 
near the old Vanderbilt farm, where, as a young boy 
and man, William H. Vanderbilt found opportunity, by 
his judicious management of the property and subse- 
quently of the Staten Island Railroad, to convince his 
father of his business capacity. The Vanderbilt fami y 
came to Staten Island from Flatbush, L. I., where they 
had settled about 1650. In 1718, Jacob Van der Bilt 
purchased a farm near New Dorp. The family became 
members of the Moravian Church. Cornelius Vander- 
bilt (the "Commodore") was born near Stapleton, May 
27, 1794. He earned his first capital by doing a cer- 
tain amount of work within a certain time on his 
mother's farm. His mother, thinking it impossible for 
him to do the work within the time specified, offered 
him $100 if he would accomplish the task. He hired a 
number of boys on his promise to give them free trips 
in the boat he intended purchasing with the money. The 
work was done ; he bought a boat with the money and 
started a ferry to New York. Nineteen years later he 
was able to build a stately residence at Stapleton. 

On the hill, back of the tomb, rises a light-house, 
which shows in a line above Elm-tree light, at the foot 
of New Dorp lane, thus indicating the channel of the 
lower bay to the incoming pilot. 

New Dorp is but a few hundred feet beyond the old 
church, and an old fa: m-house on the way is worthy a 
minute's glance as a landmark of another age. The 
first road to the left leads to New Dorp station, and fol- 
lowing the lane the beach is about a mile away. At the 
end stands the light-house before mentioned, and a short 
distance to the right are Cedar Grove Beach and Pete- 
ler's Hotel, looking out upon the ocean. Stages run 



49 

from the station to the hotel, fare lo cents. Here a 
good meal may be procured and afterwards the tourist 
can enjoy a stroll along the sandy beach, fanned by cool 
sea breezes. In the vicinity of New Dorp are numerous 
shady walks and woodland nooks. Following the road 
past the Moravian church the county seat, Richmond, 
is reached. 

Stages for Richmond connect at New Dorp with trains 
leaving St, George at 7.45 and 9.25 a.m. and 3.55 and 
5-35 p.m. 

A number of comfortable cottages have been built 
and are in the course of erection at New Dorp, and a 
pretty park has been laid out. To those who desire the 
open country, pure and simple, the place offers many 
advantages, and more especially to people of moderate 
means. Many persons doing business in New York 
reside at New Dorp, as the city is only three-quarters of 
an hour away and trains run very conveniently. The 
road leading to the west from the station runs into the 
Richmond road, which passes the Moravian church, 
and a turn to the left brings the visitor to the " Black 
Horse Tavern," which was famous during the days of the 
Revolution. The house has been partially rebuilt, but 
the old resort is worth a visit. 

Court House, the next stop, is only a station from 
whence a sandy road leads in a direct line to Rich- 
mond. During court week stages are run to the Court 
house. 

Gifford's is a famous fishing resort. From the sta- 
tion stages run to the beach and connect with the vari- 
ous hostelries. A bay is formed here called Great 
Kills, and during the season all kinds of good fishing 
may be had. There are a number of places in the vicin- 
ity where the intending fisherman may rest over night, 
so that an early start can be made, and boats can be 



50 

had in plenty along the beach at moderate rates. . Bait 
can also be obtained from the resident fishermen near 
the beach. Eltingville, the next station, is a small 
village. 

The Woods of Arden. — At this station stages con- 
nect with the trains for the Woods, most delightful 
grounds for a picnic of any kind, but particularly 
adapted for Sunday-school excursions, A dancing 
pavilion is within the Woods, tables and seats are scat- 
tered about, swings are numerous and from the grove 
a road leads to the beach which is long and sandy, 
with a wooded bluff for a picturesque background. In 
a retired corner of the grounds is situated the Arden 
Inn, a fine hostelry, where the best of everything may 
be had. Stabling accommodations are connected with 
the inn. 

The stops between the Woods of Arden and Prince's 
Bay are : Annadale, a small country place ; Ocean 
Park, a flag station ; and Hugue^iot, a small village, de- 
riving its name from the Huguenot church in the vic- 
inity. The Pleasant Plains stage line leaves Huguenot 
station for Rossville, Kreischerville and vicinity on the 
arrival of every train from St. George. 

Prince's Bay, the next stopping-place, is a great re- 
sort for fishermen, who find in the bay a good fishing- 
ground. Accommodations similar to those at Gifford's 
may be had. Pleasaiit Plains, about a mile further on, 
and Richmond Valley, a mile and a half beyond, are 
pleasant little villages. From the latter place a stage 
runs to Kreischerville. 

TOTTENVILLE is at the further end of the Island, one 
hour and fifteen minutes from New York. Within a 
block of the station is the ferry to Perth Amboy, New 
Jersey, where boats connect with every train from St. 
George. The most interesting historical object at Totten- 



51 

ville is the old Billop House (the " stone-house "), which 
was built about 1670 by Christopher Billop and has weath- 
ered the storms of more than two centuries (page 13). 
When General Howe, after the battle of Long Island, 
offered peace to the Continental government, the com- 
mittee appointed by Congress to treat with him (consist- 
ing of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Edv/ard 
Rutledge) met him in this house. The commission bore 
no fruit, as Howe refused to recognize them as official 
representatives of a belligerent power. He treated 
them, nevertheless, with distinguished courtesy, and 
sent them over to Perth Amboy in his private barge. 
The house was occupied by the British as a barracks 
during the Revolution, and altogether it is one of the 
most interesting historical relics on the Island. 



52 




ALONG MILL BROOK. 



53 



CHAPTER IV. 

PLACES NOT ON THE RAILROADS. 

Richmond is the county-seat of Richmond County, 
so called from the duke of that name. From New 
Dorp, from which station stages are run upon the ar- 
rival of every train, it is nearly two miles. The head- 
quarters of the British army during the Revolution 
were at Richmond, and many of the people in the vicin- 
ity were Tories. St. Andrew's Protestant Episcopal 
Church is rich in historical traditions. It obtained its 
charter from Queen Anne, who gave the Church a sil- 
ver service, a prayer-book and a pulpit-cover adorned 
with her name. It is one of the richest parishes on the 
Island, the income from its landed possessions being 
ample for its support. The present church occupies 
the site of the original building, and is the third erected 
thereon, the first having been burned shortly after the 
Revolution, During the War of Independence, the 
Queen's Rangers, a troop of Tories, were quartered in 
the old church, and the pulpit and the reading-desk 
were used as targets. A party of Americans once 
came over from Jersey and drove the troops to shelter 
in the church. Then, by pouring a volley through the 
windows, they drove them out again and took many 
prisoners, whom, however, they were obliged to release 
later on when British reinforcements arrived. In one 
corner of the old graveyard a son of Lord Dongan, the 
colonial governor of New York, lies buried, and some 
of the old tomb-stones have many curious inscriptions 
in verse upon them, dating back more than a hundred 



54 

years. A little way along the road, to the left of the 
church, rises a steep hill, lined with cedars, and at the 
top are the remains of the ol-d British fort Mount Izzard. 
Many old flint-locks and musket-balls have been dug up 
in that region. The hill commands a line view of the 
Island and the Jersey shore lying beyond the Arthur 
Kills. The village of Richmond is a delightfully primi- 
tive spot, and one can scarcely realize that New York 
City is so near. Here are the court-house and the 
county jail. 

The road to the left of Richmond is the Fresh Kill 
road, which runs alongside the wide marshes, extend- 
ing a couple of miles inward from the Arthur Kills. A 
bridge was once built across the marsh, but it has fallen 
into decay, and passing along the West Shore, from 
north to south, a detour of the marsh has to be made 
through Richmond. It was along this road that the 
Americans retreated after capturing the British at 
Richmond. A stage from New Dorp runs to Rossville 
on this thoroughfare ; but unless one is desirous of 
stopping at Richmond, there are shorter lines to the 
former place. The drive along here is very beautiful. 
The houses are all old, and in a picturesque condition 
of neglect. The country is country pure and simple, 
and no more rural spot, undisturbed by the noises of 
civilization can be found. The drive to Rossville is five 
miles. On theVay Green Ridge is passed, but one would 
never know he were passing through a " place " except 
for the sign which hangs in front of the solitary store. 

Rossville is on the West Shore, fronting on the Ar- 
thur Kills or Staten Island Sound. Rossville has no 
particular place in history. It is a pleasant village, de- 
cidedly out of the way of the tide of progress, and for 
that reason much loved by many of its residents. The 
old Ross House, or " Ross Castle," is one of the oldest 



55 

houses on the Island, and is still standing in good con- 
dition. Rossville is best reached by stage from Pleas- 
ant Plains. Kreischerville is a small place on Arthur 
Kill, between Tottenville and Rossville, a little more 
than a mile from Pleasant Plains. Kreischer's factory 
for refractory ware is at this point. Woodrow is a 
small village lying half-way between Pleasant Plains 
and Rossville, possessing nothing out of the ordinary. 

Other Interior Points. — Castleton Co7-ners, or, as it 
is popularly called, Four Corners, is about two miles 
from West Brighton station on the Manor road. Eck- 
stein's brewery is at this point, and a stage connects 
with the trains at West Brighton (for time-table see 
page 35). 

Following the Richmond turnpike, which crosses the 
Manor road at Castleton Corners, the village of Wil- 
low Brook is passed ; a little further on are Bull's Heaa 
or Pha:7iixviUe (for which see page 58) ; Travisville and 
Linoleumville, where there are large manufactories of 
linoleum and oil-cloth. From Port Richmond there is 
a stage line which connects with Linoleumville. The 
outlying lands in this vicinity are all marshy, and the 
road must be retraced to Travisville, from where, turn- 
ing northwest, Chelsea is reached. Due north from 
that point is B loom fie Id ; Sitinftierville is to the north- 
east, and from there to Graniteville is a short distance. 
From the latter place, the nearest railroad station is 
Elm Park. 



56 



A/\pOMl,c,|^'^ OH 




57 



CHAPTER V. 

DRIVES AND WALKS. 

Hacks may be obtained at any of the stations along 
the North and South shores and at St. George by tele- 
phone. From Tompkinsville the Richmond turnpike 
leads directly up from the station to Linoleumville. 
This must not be confounded with the Richmond road 
which is referred to later on. At Pavilion Hill the 
turnpike branches off to the left, skirting the foot of the 
hill, up past the De Jonge's paper factory, one of the 
leading industries of the Island. To reach Grimes 
Hill the tourist should take the road leading to the left 
of the factory, and turn to the right when the summit of 
the hill is reached. Along the Serpentine Road one of 
the finest views imaginable is disclosed. To the left, 
are New York and Brooklyn joined by the arching 
bridge, the Long Island shore seems but a short dis- 
tance away ; Coney Island and Brighton Beach, with 
the great wooden elephant and the high observatory, 
are seen distinctly in miniature ; the forts at the Nar- 
rows appear like playthings, and way down below 
Stapleton spreads out like a map. This view from 
Grimes Hill is famous for its varied beauty. To the 
right of the road are superb country residences. Fur- 
ther on the road winds through a dell down a steep hill, 
until it reaches the Clove road which crosses it at right 
angles. To rejoin the Richmond turnpike the tourist 
should turn to the right at the first cross-road. If he 
desires to prolong the drive he can turn down the Clove 
to the left, and the first road leading to the right is 
the Little Clove, where the Country Club is situated. 
Turning off the Little Clove at the first road to the left 



58 

and continuing on it, keeping all the ti.ne to the right, 
a hill is reached from whose summit a picture unfolds 
itself which fairly rivals the view from Grimes Hill. 
The road over the brow of the hill is called Ocean Ter- 
race and the hill Todt Hill. To the left is seen the 
spreading wood and meadow ; beyond are the Lower 
Bay with the two quarantine islands, Raritan Bay, 
Sandy Hook, the Jersey Highlands and the light-ship, 
and then far, far away, blue sky and sea fade into one. 
One never tires of the picture, for one is constantly 
searching for and discovering new beauties in it. A little 
further on, after a drive through a young wood, the 
very summit of the hill is reached. Here a road crosses 
at right angles. Again a beautiful view is had. To the 
right the Jersey shore, the little towns and the blue 
Orange Mountains, far away, but clear and dis- 
tinct as in a photograph. Following the cross-road to 
the right the Richmond turnpike is rejoined, and to the 
left the cross-road leads through valley and meadows, 
past some deserted iron mines, and over a hill to the 
Moravian church and cemetery and the Richmond road. 
From the little church, where the turnpike is again 
met, the road leads through Castleton Corners, Willow 
Brook and Phoenixville, where is the old Bull's Head 
Tavern. The original building is not standing, but its 
successor is quite as quaint and curious. The turnpike 
was once the Philadelphia post-road, along which the 
coaches rumbled from the ferry at Tompkinsville to the 
Blazing Star Ferry at the end of the road. The original 
ferry of that name was at Rossville, but after the estab- 
lishment of the post-road the location was changed. 
Along this road, in the olden day, ran the immense mail- 
coaches, with post-boy and horn. Wigged and powdered 
ladies and gentlemen looked out upon the same scene as 
is now passed and perhaps stopped a moment at the 



59 

Bull's Head Tavern to refresh the weary horses and no 
less weary passengers. From Tompkinsville, keeping 
to the turnpike all the way, there are many old houses 
going to decay, and when one of the stages now plying in 
that vicinity is seen from afar, the picture of the olden 
times seems perfect, until a closer inspection of the stage 
shows that it bears the honored title of *' Broadway 
and Fifth Avenue." At Linoleumville the road abruptly 
ceases, and no remains of the old ferry are seen. The 
road must therefore be retraced, unless one desires to 
turn off at Travisville and go through Chelsea and 
Bloomfield, once called by the old Indian name of 
*' Watchogue," on to Summerville, Graniteville and so 
to Port Richmond and along the shore to Tompkins- 
ville again. 

Silver Lake is a well-known locality on Staten 
Island, to reach which the first road to the right be- 
yond the paper factory, on the Richmond turnpike 
going southwest, must be taken. It is a beautiful, 
fresh water pond, girdled with green lily-pads. A 
restaurant and picnic grounds are in the vicinity, and 
boats are to let. 

For pedestrians, there are, besides the routes de- 
scribed, beautiful rambles, few of the places of interest 
leading the tourist more than five or six miles from the 
railroad, a distance which is nothing to a good walker. 
Silver Lake is about a mile from Tompkinsville, nestled 
in the wild woods. A mile from West Brighton station, 
turning up the first road to the left, is a chain of little 
lakes, where an old mill and wheel are to be found, 
with other picturesque accessories, and through the 
woods and over the hills one may ramble for hours. 
In fact, from every point pleasant walks may be taken, 
and nearly everywhere can be found a summer garden 
or inn where refreshments may be obtained. 



The route /rout Neiv York to Perth Amboy, 
via Staten Island^ is the least expensive^ is quick 
and comfortable^ and is steadily growing in 
popularity. 



